Saturday, December 24, 2011

When we went to Brambles Nubian Goat Farm to pick up our buckling, Rebecca gave us an awesome present: fresh goat milk! I've never had fresh milk and it is beautiful: creamy, mild and a wee bit sweet. Like so many things - blows away the stuff in the stores! I can hardly wait until we have our own steady supply (Go, Buckling, Go!). What to do with fresh goat milk a couple of days before Christmas? Make cheese, of course! And maybe a little soap.....

Heat until steamy and frothy, not boiling!

The tiny curds draining.

We've made cheese before; we acquired a great starter cheese kit on Etsy from Urban Cheesecraft, which has everything you need. Making simple, soft cheese is really quite easy. The milk goes into a heavy, stainless pot and is heated to 180 - 190 degrees Fahrenheit, until it's steaming and frothy but not boiling, stirring regularly. Then, you add in citric acid dissolved in water. Curds start to form almost right away - for our goat cheeses the curds have always been tiny. Stir for a few minutes off the heat, then pour into a cheesecloth lined colander. We capture the whey, the yellow liquid, because it's great for the chickens or in place of stock in soups and stews. The cats quite like it, too!

Packing the curds into the mold.

The curds are left to drain for ten minutes, then kosher salt is stirred in. Then, the curds are placed in a mold, or for a casual ball, you can just leave them in the cheesecloth. We weighted down the curds for a firmer set, we put plastic wrap over the top of the mold and popped on a jar of jam. After refrigerating for an hour, we have a nice, soft goat cheese! And sooooo tasty!

Welcome, Ron! Check out our Facebook page: Aagaard Farms! Marguerite: soft cheeses are pretty fast and easy, and citric acid is all you need. Harder cheeses require rennet, too, and you can get a vegetarian version if you desire!

Hi, Lynda, Hi, CallieK; Soft cheeses are really quite easy - a surprise to me when I first started making them! We've made them before with store bought milk but sooooo nice to have fresh, unpasturized! It really did make a difference!

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About Us

Down at Aagaard Farms we are busy planting, growing and tending gardens, chickens, goats, pigs and more! We sell direct to our customers through a Community Supported Agriculture program for families who don't have time or space to grow their own produce.
We practice sustainable growing using organic practices. Our desire is to bring fresh, naturally good food from our farm to your table. We are excited to share what's happening on the farm ... here on THE VINE!